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District food vendor Witson highlights local sourcing and rising participation in school meals
Summary
Witson representatives told the Maynard School Committee they served over 87,000 lunches and nearly 24,000 breakfasts through February, described promotions and local sourcing partnerships, and explained student feedback and waste-reduction practices.
Witson district manager Alyssa Charles and the school's on-site manager, Sue, presented the company's work to the Maynard School Committee and described efforts to boost participation and source more local produce.
"Through the end of February, we served over 87,000 lunches and almost 24,000 breakfasts in the school district," Charles said, noting about 55 to 60 percent of students choose to get lunch on a typical day. She and Sue said the vendor uses student-choice meals, themed "popup" concepts (including a Chipotle-style "golden chipotle" and a yard-bird sandwich) and targeted promotions to shape menus and forecast production.
The presenters described partnerships with local farms and a Boston food hub to aggregate produce from multiple growers, and said the district posts signage to highlight local items. They described family- and student-facing feedback channels: surveys, an online menu-rating tool that opens a comment box when items are rated, and direct conversations with staff.
To address waste, Witson staff said students are required to take a fruit or vegetable but may place unwanted items in a share bin so other students can take them. The on-site team also tracks item popularity and adjusts production; Sue said they keep reference counts (for example, how many of a new item sold the first time it was offered) to refine future orders.
Committee members asked operational questions (including whether the participation numbers included second lunches) and complimented the quality of the food. The vendors invited committee members to visit school cafeterias during service to review offerings and operations.
The presentation also touched on operational improvements: fingerprint scanning at the high school to speed service and a breakfast promotion that includes a parfait bar and breakfast sandwiches. Witson said these steps are intended to improve throughput and increase participation.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation; the session moved on after questions and thanks to the vendor team.
